With the last few days of 2023 upon us, hopefully we’ll all get a moment or two to just sit back and reflect on 2023. Reflect on all the blessings, and all the goodness the year brought. Reflect on any heartbreak, or disappointment that may have come with it. I think everyone needs a moment or two every so often to sit back and remember. And with that, everyone needs something to look forward to. My hope is that 2024 brings you all more joy than heartache; more happiness than sadness; more blessings than disappointment. A big thank you to all of our Faces, and to all of our readers. May you all have a happy new year, and a blessed 2024.
“For Auld Lang Syne, my dear. For Auld Lang Syne. We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for Auld Lang Syne.”
Arend Scott: ‘If you listen long enough, you will learn.’ And that’s the key. You’ve got to listen long enough to learn, because you don’t have all the answers.Autumn Minzey: “I was told once, before my husband and I got married and said our vows: “Our rings are not a tether. They are there for your bonds. You can go off and do what you need to do by yourself, but it always comes back to communication. Communicating with one another – that’s the biggest advice I’ve ever gotten.”Cindy Truxton: “If the sun’s not very shiny one day, you know it’s going to be the next day. You’ve just got to have faith and keep plugging along. Just keep plugging. Nobody wants to talk to somebody that’s unhappy. Wouldn’t you rather talk to somebody that’s upbeat? I want to be that upbeat person. I believe God watches out for us, and he won’t give us anything we can’t handle. The road of life is long, but a smile will soften the footsteps.”Curtis Crowl: “Be the person that you needed when you were little.”Dan Willliams: “Being in church, the Lord is a big part of my life now. Being of service to other people; help people when you can. You’ve got understand, that we are here not only for us. That our main purpose on Earth is to serve God. Once one realizes that, other things come together.”Dave Swiler: “Work hard. Focus on what you want. If you set your mind to it, you can do about anything – but you have to work for it. Nothing comes easy. There’s a little piece of advice that I give to myself. It started out when I was racing, and if I’d have a crash, I’d make sure I’d get back on the bike – or the snowmobile – and finish the race. You’re probably not going to win, but you get back up and finish the race. And so the phrase that I always use is “Never quit on a crash.” You might be hurting, but you have to pick yourself up and push through.Dave Johns: “What I try to do, I just pray that I do my best. When I’m on the board, I pray that I listen. I make mistakes, but I try to rectify them. Just be honest, and be yourself.”IN REMEMBRANCE OF FRANCES NIVER AND ALMA MINZEY-WYCKOFF Marion Press: You both look great. What is your secret to staying so young? Do you have any advice for the rest of us? Frances Niver: I have a hard time making myself believe that I’m the age I am, really. I chum with all younger people, and we always have. Even with the business we had up there, snowmobiling, we’d always be around younger people. I have a hard time making myself believe I’m as old as I am because I just do everything everyone else does. I’m not ready to just sit down and do nothing. Alma Minzey-Wyckoff: Most of the people we chum with are our kids age now. People get old because they think old. Don’t think old! What is old? Frances Niver: What is old? I mean, really? I do more dancing than young people. You just have to keep active. And if you see somebody in need, help people, don’t just ignore them. Help your neighbor. Alma Minzey-Wyckoff: And try to learn something new every day. Try something new. For goodness sakes, go talk to people! Make a new friend. Make somebody else feel good. Smile at people. You’ll notice: if you just smile at someone, you can get their whole demeanor to change. Frances Niver: You know, we do that. We get to dancing – I get the biggest kick out of these guys who are there playing their instruments – and the one guy I was dancing with, we just decided to stick our tongue out at them as we went by – boy that woke ‘em right up! I like to get people laughing and having fun. Alma Minzey-Wyckoff: Make other people feel good.Heather Deighton: “My top three: One, I kind of go by, “Love God, Love Others.” That’s just why you’re here on Earth. (2) My dad, Ron, always said, “If you’re having trouble making a decision that’s because you need more information.” And (3) Mr. Mikulich’s advice, “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.” I do use that one a lot, because it’s kind of true. Who you hang with impacts your life, so surrounding yourself with positive people is [important]. And enjoy life. You’ve got to enjoy life.”Jason Eisenga: “Never give up. My grandfather, he always told me, ‘You can only do it yourself; never give up, and do it.’ Through my father, my grandfather, and football coach, they instilled a hard work ethic. For the last couple of years, I’ve almost been working 7 days a week to try to keep the welding business going.”(In Remembrance of) Jean Miller: “I would say the Golden Rule is a pretty good one. Do unto others and you would want them to do unto you.”(In Remembrance of) John Uber: “You’ve got to learn how to deal with people, and get along with people.”Lucas England: “It was something along the lines of, ‘To be successful you have to have the attitude of success.’ That stuck with me. You’ve got to think success before it can happen. You’ve got to understand what success takes before you are successful: Dedication, hard work, and discipline.”Mark Downing: “I guess that leads a lot into my bible college journey. When a typical person pursues a degree in biblical theology, it’s a four-year degree. You have to get a bachelor’s degree. I was in bible college for 6 years, and [at one point] I decided to take my associate’s degree and run. But through that, somebody took their time to very forcibly tell me, “Don’t quit.” And that sounds like really simple advice, but that’s what’s gotten me through these last 6 years of bible college, just telling myself, “Don’t quit.” And there’s a lot to that. There are people that look to me – especially now – and I can’t quit on them. That’s something that’s gotten me through the bible college era of things.Matt Mohr: “Get up and put your boots on every morning. Nobody is going to feel sorry for you. You’ve got to choose your own path and do what’s best for you. You can’t sit back and feel sorry for yourself, and woe is me. Because the world didn’t stop, and you’ve got to keep going also.”Megan (and Pete) Ashby: “Put your family first.”Sherri Bancroft: “Be true to yourself. And I’m an advocate for helping others. It could be as simple as buying a little boy a pair of shoes, or helping out with transportation or rides. And helping your own family.”Steve Boven: “I think, growing up on the farm, and developing the work ethic that happens on a farm – where you work, a lot – I think I’ve taken that work ethic, and applied it to every position I’ve ever had. When I was a trooper, I worked hard – had a lot of fun – but I worked hard. When I was a detective, I worked extremely hard. Maybe didn’t have as much fun as working the road, but still, it was a lot of fun. I guess, just that work ethic.” “And when that house mother said, “What are you going to get your degree in?” That set me in a direction that served me well. I think looking back at that, what that house mother said at Ferris, that was good advice, and I took it, and it served me so well.”Taylor Ardis: “To be a continuous learner. And to be able to see things from other people’s perspective – be able to put yourself in other people’s shoes. Try to understand others’ point of view; it might help you better yourself, or help the situation that you’re in.” “With being a continuous learner, you never know everything about something. You can always learn from it, whether it’s positive or negative. You’re never as good as you think you are, and you’re never as bad as you think you are. And take everything with a grain of salt.”Tony Baldwin: “Always stay positive. Always look for the good. You can find the bad easily, so always look for the good in everybody.”
